Drug Facts - Marijuana

Overview

Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of
dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of
the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Cannabis is a term
that refers to marijuana and other drugs made from
the same plant. Other forms of cannabis include
sinsemilla, hashish, and hash oil. All forms of
cannabis are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs.

The main active chemical in marijuana is THC
(delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Short-term effects
of marijuana use include problems with memory and
learning, distorted perception, difficulty in
thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination,
increased heart rate, and anxiety.

Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a
joint) or in a pipe or bong. Marijuana has also
appeared in blunts, which are cigars that have been
emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana,
sometimes in combination with another drug, such as
crack. It can also be mixed into foods or used to
brew a tea.

Extent of Use

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug.
According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 102 million
Americans aged 12 or older have tried marijuana at
least once in their lifetimes, representing 41% of
the U.S. population in that age group. The number of
past year marijuana users in 2008 was approximately
25.8 million (10.3% of the population aged 12 or
older) and the number of past month marijuana users
was 15.2 million (6.1%).

Among 12-17 year olds surveyed as part of the 2008
NSDUH, 6.7% reported past month marijuana use.
Additional NSDUH results indicate that 16.5% of
18-25 year olds and 4.2% of those aged 26 or older
reported past month use of marijuana.

In 2008, there were 2.2 million persons aged 12 or
older who had used marijuana for the first time
within the past 12 months; this averages to about
6,000 initiates per day. This estimate was about the
same as the estimate in 2007 (2.1 million) and 2002
(2.2 million).

A 2002 SAMHSA report, Initiation of Marijuana Use:
Trends, Patterns and Implications, concludes that
the younger children are when they first use
marijuana, the more likely they are to use cocaine
and heroin and become dependent on drugs as adults.
The report found that 62% of adults age 26 or older
who initiated marijuana before they were 15 years
old reported that they had used cocaine in their
lifetime. More than 9% reported they had used heroin
and 53.9% reported non-medical use of
psychotherapeutics. This compares to a 0.6% rate of
lifetime use of cocaine, a 0.1% rate of lifetime use
of heroin and a 5.1% rate of lifetime non-medical
use of psychotherapeutics for those who never used
marijuana. Increases in the likelihood of cocaine
and heroin use and drug dependence are also apparent
for those who initiate use of marijuana at any later
age.

Results of the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey
indicate that 14.6% of eighth graders, 29.9% of
tenth graders, and 42.6% of twelfth graders reported
lifetime use of marijuana. In 2007, these
percentages were 14.2%, 31.0%, and 41.8%,
respectively.

Approximately 72.0% of eighth graders, 64.8% of
tenth graders, and 51.7% of twelfth graders surveyed
in 2008 reported that smoking marijuana regularly
was a "great risk."

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
study by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) surveys high school students on
several risk factors including drug and alcohol use.
Results of the 2007 survey indicate that 38.1% of
high school students reported using marijuana at
some point in their lifetimes. Additional YRBSS
results indicate that 19.7% of students surveyed in
2007 reported current (past month) use of marijuana.

Approximately 47.5% of college students and 56.7% of
young adults (ages 19–28) surveyed in 2007 reported
lifetime use of marijuana.

According to data from the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, approximately 77.6% of State prisoners
and 71.2% of Federal prisoners surveyed in 2004
indicated that they used marijuana/hashish at some
point in their lives.

Health Effects

Marijuana abuse is associated with many detrimental
health effects. These effects can include
respiratory illnesses, problems with learning and
memory, increased heart rate, and impaired
coordination. A number of studies have also shown an
association between chronic marijuana use and
increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal
ideation, and schizophrenia. Long-term marijuana
abuse can lead to addiction. Studies conducted on
both people and animals suggest marijuana abuse can
cause physical dependence. Withdrawal symptoms may
include irritability, sleeplessness, decreased
appetite, anxiety, and drug craving.

Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many
of the same respiratory problems that tobacco
smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm
production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, a
heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater
tendency toward obstructed airways. Cancer of the
respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by
marijuana smoke. Marijuana has the potential to
promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the
respiratory tract because marijuana smoke contains
50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic
hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.

Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to
occur because THC alters the way in which
information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain
area responsible for memory formation. In one study,
researchers compared marijuana smoking and
nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized
tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although
all of the students had scored equally well in 4th
grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e.,
those who used marijuana seven or more times per
week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than
nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students
found that among heavy users of marijuana critical
skills related to attention, memory, and learning
were significantly impaired, even after they had not
used the drug for at least 24 hours.

Of an estimated 113 million emergency department
(ED) visits in the U.S. during 2006, the Drug Abuse
Warning Network (DAWN) estimates that 1,742,887 were
drug-related. DAWN data indicate that marijuana was
involved in 290,563 ED visits.

Treatment

From 1997 to 2007, the number of admissions to
treatment in which marijuana was the primary drug of
abuse increased from 197,840 in 1997 to 287,933 in
2007. The marijuana admissions represented 12.3% of
the total drug/alcohol admissions to treatment
during 1997 and 15.8% of the treatment admissions in
2007. The average age of those admitted to treatment
for marijuana during 2007 was 24 years.

Arrests & Sentencing

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, there were an
estimated total of 1,841,182 state and local arrests
for drug abuse violations in the United States
during 2007. Of these drug abuse violation arrests,
5.3% were for the sale/manufacture of marijuana and
42.1% were for marijuana possession.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center
there were 5,039 Federal marijuana-related arrests
during 2006. This is down from the 5,599 such
arrests during 2005.

According to a 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics
survey of state and Federal prisoners, approximately
12.7% of state prisoners and 12.4% of Federal
prisoners were serving time for a marijuana-related
offense. This is a decrease from 1997 when the
figures were 12.9% and 18.9%, respectively.

During FY 2008, there were 6,337 Federal offenders
sentenced for marijuana-related charges in U.S.
Courts. Approximately 97.8% of these cases involved
trafficking and 1.6% of cases involved simple
possession.

The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) II program
is designed to gather information on drug use and
related matters from adult male offenders within 48
hours of arrest. ADAM II serves as a critical source
of data for estimating trends in drug use in local
areas, understanding the relationship between drugs
and crime, and describing drug market activity in
the adult male arrestee population in 10 U.S. sites
during 2008. In 9 out of the 10 sites, 45% or more
of the arrestees reported using marijuana within the
past year.

Production & Trafficking

The threat associated with marijuana trafficking and
abuse is rising, which is largely the result of a
growing demand for high-potency marijuana and a
related increase in the drug's availability. An
increase in domestic cannabis cultivation by drug
trafficking organizations contributes to this
threat, particularly the recent expansion of
cultivation operations by Mexican, Asian and Cuban
organizations.

Most foreign-source marijuana smuggled into the
United States enters through or between points of
entry at the U.S.-Mexico border. During 2006,
1,115,710 kilograms of marijuana were seized along
the Southwest Border. Cannabis cultivation in Mexico
remains high and most of the marijuana produced in
that country is destined for U.S. drug markets.

Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program
(DCE/SP) data indicate that a total of 5,231,658
marijuana plants were seized in the U.S. during
2006. This is up from 4,209,086 plants seized during
2005. The recent increases in cannabis cultivation
and marijuana production within the United States
coincide with the continued flow of marijuana from
foreign sources, which may lead to market saturation
in major markets. This saturation could reduce the
price of the drug significantly.

According to combined 2002, 2003 and 2004 NSDUH
data, more than three fourths (78.2%) of the past
year marijuana users aged 18 to 25 bought their most
recently used marijuana from a friend. The majority
(56.0%) of past year marijuana users aged 18 to 25
bought their most recently used marijuana inside a
home, apartment or dormitory.

Legislation

Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the
Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Schedule I drugs
are classified as having a high potential for abuse,
no currently accepted medical use in treatment in
the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for
use of the drug or other substance under medical
supervision.

In the case of United States v. Oakland Cannabis
Club the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that marijuana has
no medical value as determined by Congress. The
opinion of the court stated that: "In the case of
the Controlled Substances Act, the statute reflects
a determination that marijuana has no medical
benefits worthy of an exception outside the confines
of a government-approved research project." The case
reached the U.S. Supreme Court after the federal
government sought an injunction in 1998 against the
Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative and five other
marijuana distributors in California.

The United States Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia Circuit issued a ruling on May 24, 2002,
upholding DEA's determination that marijuana must
remain a schedule I controlled substance. The Court
of Appeals rejected an appeal that contended that
marijuana does not meet the legal criteria for
classification in schedule I, the most restrictive
schedule under the Controlled Substances Act.